Sports : Badminton, Cricket.Hangout : Swiss cafes and pubs.Loves Lush green NatureUnforgettable moment - First shot of first filmGoal To become a good actorDream Role GladiatorPerson he envies : myselfCharitable Services : Conducting Medical camp, Helps students for their studiesSupriya * Is his childhood sweetheart* Getting married to her on November 21, 2007.* They both studied in the same schoolFACTSWas very much interested to do his bachelor's in Vancouver film school.Not involved in any of the rumors.* Is the second actor to receive international award after the late actor Shivaji Ganesan. * He had learnt Kung fu for 3 years.

Criticism : I am completely chilled out. If people criticize me, I don't care. If something doesn't work but I am confi dent about it, I stick to my gut feeling.Success formula : However good a choice, the fi lm should release at the right time to succeed.Strengths : I am open minded, appreciative and have no attitude.Life mantra : The triple D of dedication, determination and discipline.I love : Spending one hour a day just with myself and my hobbies and spending time on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook.

Diet mantra: I drink loads of water and consume frequent meals in small quantities. No fattening foods for me and I usually make breakfast an essential part of my diet. Plenty of fruits, veggies and a light dinner is what largely forms my diet.

Exercise regime: I do cardio two or three times a week and stick to a healthy diet.

Favourite gadgets: Apple products

In my free time: I edit home-videos, watch cricket and play cricket.

Weekend rules: When I am not shooting, I bar all phone calls and spend time with family and friends on weekends. I spend Saturday nights at roof-top restaurants or at a beach hotel.

Style statement : In summer, I slip into half-pant cargos and a cotton billabong t-shirt. I keep pace with the latest in fashion.

Vacation spots: Kodaikanal, Pondicherry, Melbourne and Miami.

Books to browse: Desmond Morris’ People Watching.

Movies to watch: In Tamil, it’s sms, Raam, Hey Raam, Nayagan and most of Kamal Hassan and Rajnikanth films. My favourites Hollywood fims are Schindler's List, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Dark Knight and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Goodfellas... the list goes on.

I am a big fan of sylvester stallone whenever I am down ‘rocky’ is my man!

﻿Rewinds﻿

I used to wear full-sleeved shirt to school defying the rule just so that I would stand-out in the crowd!

Long silky hair, an overdose of dad’s perfume and a killer attitude defined me back in school

I have been quite practical when It came to love. In fact, I have never hit on any girl. My first and my last love is undoubtedly my wife. Who has been my friend for last 14 years!

My most memorable encounter with women was when I went in as a chief guest for college cultural and got smothered all over! That memory gives me the shivers till date (in a good way of course)

Dad, mom, sparsh

Staying rooted

People around me don’t see any difference. I’m told that I’m the same old silent, sporting, down-to-earth person. According to me, life is simple, I believe in myself and in making a mark. If I face failure, I’ll pick myself up saying there’s another time. My dad – he’s an angel. He backs me up and motivates me. He will say, success should be taken like a tonic and not like a drug. And my teacher, Nasser sir, guided me. I’ve met some wonderful people in my life. I’m indeed grateful to all the directors who gave me the freedom to explore my part as an actor. It’s been a ten-year roller coaster ride, a positive and great trip. I’m an actor who would prefer quality to quantity.Will you get into production like his father one day? " Yes I will produce fi lms one day soon. But it will be a sister concern of Super Good Films. I want to have my own banner like Jiiva Films or something. If you ask me why I would say it's the youth perspective. Super Good films works with established names whereas I want to do a whole variety of films. Aamir Khan productions is my inspiration. After two years I defi nitely want to produce films like Pasanga, Peepli Live, Subramaniapuram, Apocalypto, Bhoot or Paranormal activity. Each film should be diff erent from the other. I want to be my own brand. People should instantly recall that Jiiva's films will be different and the audience should be kept guessing."

About mom on this mother's day...!my mom is very supportive a strong and a honest woman.for me everyday is special and everyday is a celebration of her.but i also admit that, with our busy schedule, we forget to appreciate all that they do for us. so even if i don't really make it very obvious by celebrating mother's day, i do make her realise that i am what i am because of her. and of course, i will start the day by wishing her!

My memorable pics from Moroco﻿

Me, myself & ii

If you Google Jeeva, the search pages churn out links to news about the death of Jeeva the cinematographer. So once at the airport when I was chatting with a French lady, she suggested the double ‘i’, saying that the change would also work wonders in my career. I’m not into numerology, but I guess the new spelling is fancy, so I accepted the change. I’m sure some people find it ridiculous too! But well it works for me! I’m not sure if it’s the numerology that has helped, because I believe it’s self confidence, ultimately. But then cinema is a field where a lot of money is involved, so loads of tension, and I don’t wanna lose my hair to it! So let’s just say the double ‘i’ is not a solution, but merely backs me on the positive mindset!

Sibling Rivalry

Not at all! I can’t dance like Ramesh and he can’t act like me. We know our set of assets and negative aspects, and we work based on that. When his movie does well, and mine does not or vice versa, we don’t bicker over it. Movie making is a risky business and success and failure come with the territory. I’m not trying to out do him or he me. We have to pay attention to our own individual careers first. While I’m busily trying to be better than say Ramesh, or Simbu, from nowhere, a Karthik pops up and he beats us all! His movie runs for a whopping 200 days and we were busy competing each other! So I’d say rather than worrying about who’s doing what, I’d much rather set a goal for myself, and see if I reach it on time. Competition will always be there, but beating them alone is not the goal.

With Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar!

Star Cricket…

Cricket is probably the common factor that brought us guys together. I did not meet my cine pals at pubs and discs! We are a group of us who play for the United Stars team, that plays league matches with the ICL players. It’s a serious game, mind you. No rubber ball and stuff. Real cricket. We’ve been playing for over a year, and I guess that’s what helped me picked up 69 runs at the Star Cricket match! My first 18 runs, were rather slow, but after break, I came back, hit the first ball for a six and then my game took off! I’d have scored some more, but they called me back to the dressing room because the others had to play too!

How was u felt when u meet God of cricket on ccl4 launch?

i was feeling like nobody to stand front of him...!

On your recent enterprise 1 MB?

Yes, I started a chaat restaurant called One MB as I wanted to trip on food joints. Again it is very connected to the audience. I have started this along with my friend Ajay, his wife and my wife Supriya. It is a very creative business. My wife is from Delhi and when I go there, I used to eat food from road side joints which I cannot do it here. So I thought why not I bring all those food items here. And I am getting good response also.

﻿You seem more mature now…Life has come a full circle post marriage. We are very close-knit as a family; my parents, siblings. My wife, Supriya, is sincerely dedicated to looking after our family. After my wedding, and especially after becoming a father, I’ve grown as a man. I’ve learnt the virtue of patience, thanks to Sparsh, my son, who keeps me occupied. As an actor, I used to get irritated when someone tells me what to do and how to build an image. But now, my son orders me around, and I do as he says, even if I’m dead tired. I’ve become more responsible, and I find it amusing when I look at the way I’ve changed now.

When I heard that a baby boy was born, I was very excited,”“I came to Chennai two days ago and I was with my wife. It was the most beautiful moment in my life. I’ve already started learning how to baby sit,” he smiles...

CHENNAI AND I

# I used to meet my friends in the Somasundaram ground in T Nagar for cricket matches.We’ve spent several hours chatting up, sitting on the ‘kuttisuvaru’.

# Beach volley ball used to be our other pastime; we used to eat sundal, fish fry after the matches.We used to bike all the way to the ECR. Swimming in the YMCA pool and going to a popular club for their Sunday biriyani are part of my growing up years!

# I’ve witnessed the growth and expansion of almost all the theatres in the city. I’ve also been part of movie clubs, though my interest, at that point of time, was strictly restricted to watching them!

# When my wife and I first started dating, we met at a coffee shop in a mall in Nungambakkam. When I stepped in, I found out that Shankar sir and Ravi K Chandran were shooting for Boys with Siddharth there. And now, years later, I’ve had the opportunity to work with both of them — Nanban with Shankar and Yaan with Ravi K Chandran!﻿

You say that Vishal, Arya and Ravi are close friends.

Cricket brought us closer and now we have become more off personal friends and we started spending more time for each other. Ravi is a cool guy. Vishal takes the responsibility of bringing us together. Aarya is a super-fun loving guy and wherever we are there together. Even during critical stage of the match, he remains calm and funny asking us to bring a large leg piece Chicken Biryani. I am so happy that I have great friends like them. Whenever I feel about them, the song ‘En Frienda Pola Yaaru Macha’ strikes my mind and I raise my collars.

Why there aren’t any gossips and romantic link-ups between you and any actresses?

It’s so simple. I don’t run behind anyone. Family is important than me than my career. I adore my family as a temple. I have a wife, who I have loved from my childhood. She is like my friend. She has completed MBA Graduation and yet settled down with family life. She is taking care of me and our child, supervising the restaurant and is accustomed to the way of living according to the wish of our parents… I have to be honest and truthful to such a sincere wife, who has sacrificed many things for me, isn’t that right? Of course I should be and therefore I am.

Six pack mania…

I’m quite happy with my family pack! The thing is I love to eat. My wife cooks well and though now she has restricted my diet to healthy food, when I go out I enjoy junk food! But I do want keep fit, and yeah I must start my regular workouts. I play a lot of cricket, and I believe that’s good workout. I’m not particular about six-pack abs. I want my bod to be like say Brad Pit without the six pack! I know that alone requires loads of work, but I was able to lose close to 11 kilos for Raam. I’m sure I can do so if I have to!! let’s see maybe I’ll try the look for Kudumi!!

HEART TO HEART

In our school, to punish a naughty boy, our teacher used to make him sit next to a girl. That’s how I got acquainted with Supriya. We bonded well, went to school tours together and became very good friends. As we grew older, she left to the US to pursue higher studies. That’s when I felt something was a miss. There were times when I cried, for no reason at all.

We stayed in touch through telephones and emails. Thankfully, she returned to Delhi a couple of years later. It was not love; we had a crush on each other. But more than that, it was a deep friendship. I decided to risk it, and called her one day. I asked her to tell me right at that moment if she loved me or not! She said yes, and I immediately cut the call. I rang her up after two days, and told her I was unsure if she said ‘yes, I love you’ or ‘yes, I don’t'! We laugh about it even today, and she teases me saying I threatened her into marrying me!

At Madam tussads (London trip)

Jiiva and Supriya with friends - marriage pic

IN LOVE WITH YOUR BEST FRIEND

Jiiva got married to his childhood sweetheart of 16 years, Supriya, and now they have a son, the three month old Sparsh. So what was their love story like, we quiz him. He laughs, recalling the good old days, “Supriya and I were the best of friends right through school. I would tell her everything. But it was only friendship. Then she went abroad with her family for a few years and later to Delhi. It was then that I realized that I missed her and this was something more than friendship. We would keep talking on the phone and kept up our communication. Though there was a bit of opposition, later everything fell into place and we got married.” So does he miss the bachelor life since he got married at 23? “I do think sometimes that I could have gone back packing and stuff if I wasn’t married! Marriage does mean more responsibility. But then I feel happy that I have a beautiful wife and family. It makes me feel complete,” he grins.Supriya is the anchor of his life and Jiiva clearly enjoys the joys of having a family to come home to. “She understands my pressures as an actor and pampers me when I need it. Of course we do have our disagreements but then we make up.” Talking about fights that are part of every couple’s life Jiiva laughs, “She starts the fights and I just agree with her in the end! But then I take time to explain when she cools off. However I must admit that she is a really sensible person and helps me stay balanced and cool despite all my work pressures. Thanks to her I can be myself in my home. My home is my oasis.”

Jiiva and son Sparsha

LIFE AS A DAD﻿So how is he coping with being a dad now? ﻿“I am trying now to be the hottest dad! This involves working out in the gym and a strict diet! Of course life has changed now. I spend as much time as I can at home with my kid and have mastered the art of changing diapers! In fact we both spend some quality time giving oil massages to Sparsh. We spend time shopping for the baby as well. It’s another dimension to my life. In fact I am trying to show my love more towards Supriya after she has turned mom. I was really tensed during her C section operation and everything that she has been through since. I think women are so brave!”

KEEPING THE ROMANCE ALIVEThis Valentine’s Day Jiiva hasn’t planned anything big as yet. But he avers, “There may be some diamond earrings on the cards! She loves giving me little gifts from time to time whereas I don’t believe in the gifting stuff. I prefer giving her money so that she can buy jewellery or clothes. She too prefers this. She is definitely more romantic than me, and surprises me constantly with gifts. I don’t keep money with me anyway and give her everything I have! But in the early days I remember buying her a really expensive Nokia cellphone. She gives me stuff like a Blackberry, a laptop or an iPod.” he shrugs.So how does the duo keep the romance alive after knowing each other for so long? “We go for long drives on the beach and holidays abroad. When I return from work I prefer spending time with her instead of friends. Right now we are building our house on the ECR and she is helping me with that. I turn up at home earlier than scheduled and surprise her at times. At home we prefer spending time together on our terrace or having a candlelight dinner even. And now, looking after the baby together has brought us even closer.”

school days - Jiiva and supriya

Supriya - Friend, Lover, Wife

I was in the 6th standard. I was too talkative in class so to keep me quiet, I was made to sit next a girl. That girl was Supriya. We soon became good friends. It was not until she left for the US with her family did I realize that I was in love with her. Few days before she left, the chemical reactions began and when she left, I even cried! I told my mom that I thought I was in love with her. My mother said I had a career to make and that Supriya might find someone in the US. But I did not have to console myself, because soon I got a mail from Supriya and was happy to know she felt the same way as I did! We’ve known each other for 14 years and have been in love for the past 8 years.

Getting intimate on the screen…

Of course Supriya will not approve if I get too close. Had she been in cinema, she’d probably feel otherwise. A peck on the cheek is ok, but if I go and smooch a co-star, then I’d better get my pen out and ready to sign divorce papers! In a way it’s good that I’m not allowed to smooch my co-stars! The idea is yuck!

Good guy on the sets…

I’m a very frank person. What you see is what you get. I love Supriya, I am the most comfortable with her. So I have never had the need to get close with any of my co-stars. I don’t make a conscious effort to keep my distance with anybody. I’m this jolly guy with everybody. But sadly, no girl has ev﻿er proposed to me! That’s probably because I have never kept my relationship with Supriya hidden. I guess I may as well have it plastered in my head that I am committed!

Tha Actors’ Fast for the trouble in Sri Lanka…

I don’t know how big a difference it had on the Tamils in Sri Lanka. But it did have an impact on the Sri Lankan Tamils, outside the country. Many people thanked us for showing our support. And our fast put the war in hold for a day, so in that way we brought a small relief to the suffering people. But I guess, the fast as such was the film fraternity’s way of saying that we knew what was happening and that we really care.

Jiiva & SupriyaThis is one of those high school romances that managed to fight the odds and make it into forever! Jiiva is one of those guys you immediately like. “For some reason even without me saying it, before I was married, all my co-stars knew I was in a committed relationship. So no scope for any affairs there! Only friendship,” says Jiiva with a pseudo-sigh. Then and even now, Supriya has not worried about her husband’s loyalties and is pretty content with the way he has carried his star status over the years.

Actor, Husband, Father...

“It’s quite a balancing act that he does between his profession and family. But he has learnt how to manage it all. I can’t quite pick which he is best at, because he’s really good at them all! As an actor I think he has really evolved. He’s very dedicated and committed to what he does. But at the same time, when he’s home, he’s completely involved with what’s happening here. Ever since we had our son, he’s taken that extra effort to make time for us and that’s saying a lot given what a high pressure job he has. Of course, there are times when he’s home and lost in his gadgets and social networking, but then for all the hard work he puts into his movies, I think he’s earned that little space for himself,” she says.

Social networking is like GPSYou are very active on social networking sites..!

Yes, I am very active on the social networking site as I get instant reactions and know the current trends. I am trying to learn about the pros and cons of subjects related to films, audience’s expectations, their likes and dislikes. Social networking is like GPS in terms of finding the right direction. If I am confused about something, I would throw the idea and try to gauge the reaction from my fans and friends. If it is positive, I would take it up and if there is a dull response, I would let it go. Being in a social networking site is good but at the same time, it gets addictive too as I also have a family to attend to. So as far as possible, I try my best to reply to the maximum and update myself.